The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-05-28
HE AMERICAN MAsTIFF.
An English View on the Characteristic
Points of This Noble Dog.


fore opportunity for the greatest di-
versity of appearance, all depending
as it does on the selection and crossing
of various strains of blood. This di-
versity shows itself frequently in the
matter of size. The minimum height
allowed by the English Mastiff Club is
twenty-seven inches. The maximum
height of the breed is said to be thirty.
four inches, but height greater thar
thirty-one or thirty-two inches is sci.
dom attained. Massiveness of frame
should be the first consideration, stat
ure the second. Yet for many years
the one idea of the American breeder
was to obtain height. To get this
he seemed willing to sacrifice every
characteristic of the breed, introducing
crosses of mongrel blood that have
proved most unfortunate in their eff
fects, ali the time ignoring the fact
that great height, though desirable, is
not an essential characteristic of the
mastiff. This seems one of the most
difficult things for the trio to learn. 1t
is not desired that these statements
should be taken as declaration in fa-
vor of small size in the mastiff. The
aim of the breeder should be toward
the largest dog that can be produced
without sacrifice of that most valua-
BILE attribute which the breeder calls
type of character. A mastiff twenty
seven inches high should weigh one
hundred and twenty pounds, and one
thirty-two inches high should weigh
one hundred and eighty pounds.
The head is the great point. The
choice lies between a dog with head
like Hero Ill, OF dog with a head
like Pharaoh. Both types have in this
country their admirers and advocates.
We believe that there has never been
any authoritative declaration on the
question by any of the American ken
mel clubs, butw quote an extract from
the points of the mastiff as declared
by the English Mastiff Club:
"Head-very massive and short, with
great breadth and depth of skull and
squareness of muzzle. Expression
lowering. Forehead-broad, flat and
wrinkled. Muzzle-short, truncated,
deep and broad, not tapering toward
the nose. Jaws-very wide.
1t is claimed by some that dog Of
great size and perfect formation, will
such head as that above described, is
contrary to the laws of nature, and
can not be produced. Thisassertion is
based on certain scientific analogies
and on the fact that so many of the
broad, short-headed mastifis are either
small in size or weak in legs The lat
ter defect, being peculiarly prevalen
in heavy mastiffs, leads to the impress
sion that the mastiff is naturally {
slow, unwieldy animal; but this is no
true Strength and agility should br
united in him, and from the presen
standpoint there seems to be no gooC
reason why Il mastiff with a typica
head and of large size should not b.
produced as strong and agile as a Ger
tain English specimen which wa
known to be able to seize in his jaw
the carcass of a full-grown sheep ant
leap with it over an average ston
wall.
If dog of short head and massiv
size can not be produced, itwould seer
that we must be contented with do
of smaller size than usually thought de
sirable, or else abandon the mastiff an
construct new dog in his place. Fol
many years ago, before the days of tn
EnglishMastiffC Club, Cuvier, most Garrett
of naturalists, wrote that the character
istics of the mastiff were "shortness {
upper jaw, projection of lower jaw be
You'd the upper, causing the teeth to b
undershot, height of forehead, dept
and breadth of muzzle and massiveneS
of head
OF the three colors which character
ize the mastiff, the red, the brindle an
the fawn, the last seems to be regarde
in America, rs well as in England
with by far the most favor. When thu
grand brindle IlfOrd Cromwell was fir
exhibited in this country, it WI
thought that he would turn the fashio
toward his color; but such was not Il
case, and if one may judge by the sho
bench he has not been used much as
sire. Yet, apart from his color, tn
dogis one of the best, and in the min'
of some judges the best mastiff in tn
country. However, the brindle has i
admirers 1t has been a fashionab
color in the bulldog, and
highly priced in those gigantic &c
mans, the Ulmer dogs, and there seen
to be no real objection to it in the ma
tiff. Several of the most famous spec
mems of the breed have been of tn
color The red is the least desirah
color and it is quite rare. We call
mind only one specimen in recel